A personal ecological footprint, also known as an ecological footprint, is the demand an individual has on the Earth's natural resources; like the earth, the ocean and the waste that the individual produces. A person's consumption of the Earth's resources and how that individual impacts the earth help create a personal ecological footprint calculation. At http://myfootprint.org/ I calculated my personal ecological footprint and discovered my impact on the Earth's resources and its ecosystem. The results of the ecological footprint quiz were that if everyone on the planet followed my lifestyle we would need 3.86 Earth inhabitants to support the world's population. The results of the personal ecological footprint quiz are divided into four consumption categories: carbon, food, housing, goods and services. . The results are also broken down into four ecosystem types: cropland, grassland, forest and marine fisheries. The calculation results take all these categories into account to arrive at the final result. The ecological footprint is expressed in global acres. The results of the Personal Ecological Footprint quiz compared my footprint to the country average. The average carbon footprint of the country is 91.43 global acres. My personal carbon footprint is 42.71 global acres. The country's average carbon footprint is almost double mine. My carbon footprint is smaller than I expected. The average food footprint of the country is 65.74 global acres. My personal food footprint is 52.59 global acres. I have a garden and some compost, which may have helped lower my numbers. The country's average housing footprint is 31.58 global acres. My personal housing footprint is 28.18 global acres. I live with three other people, who contribute...... middle of paper......gin to use, or reuse, more items in my house. The many reusable shopping bags I own are unfortunately forgotten at home when I go shopping. By making an effort to remember to use reusable shopping bags I can reduce my family's consumption of petroleum byproducts. Bottom line, the impact I personally have on the planet has surprised me. My personal ecological footprint is much larger than I expected. However, there are steps I can take to reduce my current rate of consumption, such as changing my recycling choices, making better purchasing decisions, and adopting the concept of reduce, reuse, and recycle throughout my household. By changing my habits and consumption rate, I can greatly influence my local community in a way that is positive for planet Earth. Works Cited http://www.answers.yahoo.com http://www.myfootprint.org